Automatic water cut-off.



G. B. WILSON. AUTOMATIC WATER CUT-OFF. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I6. I916.

Patented Nov. 13, 191?.

mwvm "Wilson (immense .B. wrtsoiv, or CAMDEN, TEXAS.

ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF r0 L'ILLIE BELLE SHOTWELL, OF CROCKETT, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC WATER CUT-OFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

Application filed August 16, 1916. Serial No. 115,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GooDRIDoE B. WIL- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Polk and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic \Vater Cut- Ofis; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to an automatic water cut ofl.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practical, and comparatively inexpensive water cut off of strong and durable construction adapted to be readily applied to water pipes and adapted in event of the falling of the temperature to freezing or any other predetermined degree of automatically cutting off the flow of the water and of draining the pipe to prevent the bursting of the same through freezing of water contained therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically venting the pipe to permit the water to flow freely through the waste outlet of a out 01f when the latter is closed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

7 In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of an automatic water out off constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the support for the movable valve actuating weight.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures ofthe drawing. I, 1

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. 1 designates astop or cut off valve of the ordinary construction having a waste outlet 2 adapted to drain the water in the pipe 3 at -the dis e harge side ofkthe valve 1 when the latter is closed. The cut off and waste valve 1 is of the ordinary construction, and as no claim is made for the particular construction of the valve and furthermore as any construction of cut off and waste valve may be employed specific description thereof and illustration of the details of the same are believed to be unnecessary. The cut off and waste valve is connected with a water supply or feed pipe 4: at the pressure side and it. is provided with an operating arm 5 which is arranged in a horizontal position when the valve is open to permit the water to How freely from the pipe 4 into the pipe 3.

The arm 5 is adapted to be swung upwardly from a horizontal position to close the cut off valve and it is connected to the lower end of a cord 6 or other flexible connection such as a wire or the like which passes over an overhead pulley or guide 7 The other end of the flexible connection 6 is attached to a movable valve actuating member 8 normally supported upon the upper end of a post 9 or other suitable supporting device and adapted to be unbalanced or upset by a thermostatic device whereby the weight is caused to fall andswing the arm 5 upwardly to its closed position. The post 9 is provided a short distance below its upper end with a shelf or supplemental support 10 arranged to receive the weight when it falls from the upper end of the support 9 as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

This will relieve the valve of strain and will enable a weight of sufficient size to be em+ ployed to secure a positive operation of the cut off valve in its closing movement without liability of injuring the valve or theplumb ing when the weight falls. 1 l

The weight is unbalanced or upset by means of a thermostatic devicecomprising a thermometer'll having a tube 12 contain ing a mercury column 13 andreceiving a rod or stem 14 of a piston having a head 15 constituting a weight. stem 14 snugly fits the tuhe 12 andis sup ported by the mercury column and when the mercury contractsthrough the lowering of the temperature the weightor head 15 will; descend and engage-an arm- 16 of'the valve ed e ev sht 1 Th new tally disposed and extends from the weight 8 a th tt mt er of an i a r nged. hi the path of a set screw or adjusting screw 17 mounted in ,exthreaded opening of 2. lug

The piston, rod or;

or ear '18 of the head or weight of the piston. The adjusting screw is vertically disposed and it is adapted to permit a fine adjustment of the thermostatic device so that the weight will be upset or unbalanced at the proper degree indicated by the thermometer. lVhile it is preferable to employ athermostatic device of the form shown, any other construction of thermostatic device may of course be used for displacing the weight. In order to permit the water in the pipe 3 to be drained therefrom through the waste valve of the cut ofl the pipe 3 is provided with an automatic air inlet valve preferably mounted in the barrel 19 of tee bib cock 20 but itmay be applied to the pipe 3 at any other desired point and may be constructed independently of the bib cock as will be readily understood. The tubular body portion or barrel 19 is providedat the top with an opening and it has an annular flange 21 extending upwardly from the opening and an inclined clownwardly tapered annular flange 22 depending from the opening. The upwardly extending annular flange 21 is interiorly threaded at 2-3 to receive a plug 24 provided with an exterior shoulder 25 and having a conical recess in its lower face communicating at its apex with an air inlet opening 27. The tapered recess 26 forms a. guard for the plunger valve 28 consisting of a conical head adapted to flt the recess 26 and provided with a concaved lower face forming a recess and adapted to receive the fluid pressure whereby it will be closed by internal pres sure before any of the water flowing into i the barrel will escape through the air inlet or vent opening 27. The downwardly and inwardly inclined flange 22 forms a contracted opening and insures tne water acting upon the lower concaved face of the plunger valve to effect aclosing of the valve before any leakage of the water can occur through the vent 013811111 The plunger valve is provided with a vertical stem 80 v depending centrallyfrom the said valve and passing through upper andlower guides 31 and 32. 7 7

The'upper and lower guides are in the form of spiders which are provided with central openings through which the stem slides. A suitable washer or gasket may be arranged between the shoulder of the plug and the upper edge of the flange 21 and the outer portion of the plug of the air inlet valve "will be polv 'onalto receive a wrench.

no claim 'is made in the present application tothe specific construction of the air inlet valve as thesame forms the'subject matter of-aco-pendingapplication executed of even 7 date herewith.

flV'he'n the cut off valve is'closed and the Copiesof this -patent mayibe obtained for five cents each; byaddzessingtm Commissioner '0! :Ialtenfl,

waste outlet is opened air pressure on the plunger valve of the air inlet device will open the plunger valve and cause the water to flow freely through the waste outlet as theair is adapted to pass around the plunger valve which is supported in its open position in spaced relation with the fiange22.

What is claimed is 1. An automatic water out off including a combined cut off and waste valve having an operating arm, a weight, means for sup porting the weight in an elevated position, means for connecting the weight with the cut oil and waste valve for closing the cut ofl alve and opening the waste outletwhen the weight falls and thermostatic device provided with means for displacing the weight to cause the same to fall, and a supplemental support arranged to receive the weight for limiting the downward movement of the same whereby the out off and waste valve will be relieved of strain after the cut on valve has been closed.

2. An automatic water cut off including a combined cut off and waste valvehaving an operating arm, a weight, a post for supporting the weight in an elevated position, an overhead guide, a flexible connection arranged in the guide and connected with the weight and with the arm of the said valve and a thermostatic device for displacing the weight.

3. An automatic water out off including a combined cut off and waste valve having an operating arm, a weight, a post for supporting the weight in an elevated position, an overhead guide, a flexible connection'arranged in the guide and connected with the weight, and with the arm of the said valve, a thermostatic device for displacing the weight, and a shelf mounted on the post and forming an auxiliary support for the weight to relieve the valve of strain after the'said valve has been closed.

4. An automatic water cut ofl' including a combined cut off and waste valve, aweight. means for supportingthe weight in an elevated position, means for 'operatively connecting the weight with the said valve for closing the same when the weight falls, an arm extending from the weight, and a thermostat including a thermometer having a mercury'column and a piston sup ported by the mercury column and provided with ahead. said head constituting a weight and having means for engagin-gthe said'a'rm to displace the weight.

In testimony whereof I allix my signa- Washington, D, Ga 

